Amongst the four understocks used in these studies, three of these namely Rosa bourboniana-Edouard (non-flowering type), R. bourboniana-Edouard (flowering type)-baramasi and R. multiflora (briar) are commonly used in India and have ...

Rosa bourbonia/Edward RoseRosa bourbonia absolute is to my knowledge only extracted in India most of which comes from South India in the state of Tamil Nadu. The deciduous shrub is also grown extensively in Rajasthan but its main use is for the production of attar, gulkand and rose water with a small amount of essential oil also being produced in that dry desert region.The absolute has distinct olfactory characteristics from Rosa damascena and Rosa centifolia in that it presents a more ambery, green honeyed note intermingled with its rich roseaceous heart note. One can distinguish something of the beauty of the Rose Leaf Absolute in its bouquet. The tenacity is very good with a soft delicate radiance.It can be used in natural perfumery in much the same way as Rosa damascena and Rosa centifolia absolutes but will add its own unique quality to the composition.

The use and demand of rose petals is increasing day by day. Its exports are on the rise thus providing foreign exchange. Out of the indigenous roses that are used, the most popular and common variety are gulkandi, gulab or baramasi. Due to its commercial demand it is extensively planted in the plains of Sindh and Punjab, particularly in Hyderabad and Chkawal districts.A variety of desi gulab (local rose) known in the west as rosa edouard, is pink, highly fragrant and flowers profusely in spring season. It is used mainly for making garlands, oil, water and conserve (Gulkand). It is also used as a rootstock for the propagation of modern roses.

Translation:In her book Roses at the Cape of Good Hope, Gwen Fagan recounts the words of Dr. B.P. Pal, founder of the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, according to whom roses having this name [Rose Edouard] had been grown on wide scale in India for the production of perfume in the same manner as Damask roses. Again according to Pal, this culture is in decline. Subsequently, they have also been used as understock, but their susceptibility to fungal diseases has led to this being abandoned.,The same roses, however, are still used in India to decorate temples. Odile Masquelier of the rose garden La Bonne Maison, at La Mulatière near Lyon told me that two roses slightly different in colour were used for this purpose. Gwen Fagan also states that there are two 'Rose Edward' in India, one forming a shrub slightly higher than the other. She identifies 'Rose Edward' and photographs it on the Seychelles, Mauritius, the garden Patraia near Florence (Italy) and of course in South Africa.

p91. Viru Viraraghavan. A Rose Gallery From India. The most popular rose for use in garland making and in worship is Rose Edouard which is grown on a field scale in the delta of the river Cauvery in the extreme south of the country, but the cultivation of this variety extends up to the northern plains where apart from use in temples and garland making, it is used for the extraction of rose oil. Another use is its utilization as a stock for budding roses especially for plants to be grown in pots......Out of the desert sands of Rajasthan near the holy town of Pushkar, we have large areas grown under 'Gruss an Teplitz'. The flowers are dried and sent on a daily basis to Mecca, the holiest of Muslim cities.

p127 Girija Viraraghavan. History of the Rose in India and Indian Rose Products. Coming now to rose products, which are distinctively Indian, roses are the basis of many rose formulations - cosmetic, medicinal and dietary. In many areas of north India, especially where the soil is rich and the water abundant, like Pushkar in Rajasthan, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rosa damascena and also Rose Edouard are grown on a commercial scale, both for distilling rose oil and rose water. Another heritage rose widely grown is 'Gruss an Teplitz'.

Edward Rose (Rosa Edouard)Varities: Deshi, Cheenia and KaithalCheenia and Deshi are also called Baramasi which means bearing flowers throughout the year. The Cheenia gulab of Kanauj has purpke flowers with fragrance stronger than that of other cultivars of the Edward rose. The popularity of the cultivars of the Edward rose lies in that they flower for 10 months in N. India and throughout the year in the Southern States. Previously the Edward rose was used as rootstock for bud grafting. Nowadays it is mostly replaced by R. indica (cv Odorata). The flowers of E. rose are mainly used for making rose water, rose recipes and hair oils. They are also used in Ayurvedic drugs and cold drinks (Thandai). As a cut flower E. rose is used in making garlands and offering to deities in temples.In south India the E. rose is popularly known as Rajapoo (in Tamil). In a number of places of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka the E. rose is grown for producing rose water. Tanjore being the largest centre of manufacturing rose water in the South.The agro-technique as recommended for the Damask rose can be followed for the Edward rose. But it should be borne in mind that it needs more manure and fertilizer than any other rose...The Edward rose blooms longer than the Damask rose. Besides the proper season (March-April) its flowering occurs for the second and the third times during monsoon (July-August) and autumn (October-November). In winter buds appear but do not open. In Peninsular India winter is not strong; for this reason the E. rose blooms there throughout the year.The experiments at HBTI, Kanpur have proved that the quality of Otto produced from our roses (Bussorah and Edward) is not inferior to that of Bulgaria.